Red Creek High School Seniors Learn Patience and Craftsmanship by Building Their Own Guitars
Red Creek High School Seniors Learn Patience and Craftsmanship by Building Their Own Guitars
Red Creek High School seniors Tiffany S. and Ben S. recently gained a new appreciation for the art and craft of guitar making by building their own instruments under the guidance of teacher Ryan Kline.
The project started a bit unexpectedly last spring. Mr. Kline noticed a video on his YouTube feed showing how to build a guitar. Around the same time, another teacher who builds guitars was scheduled to speak with Red Creek students, and Ben approached Mr. Kline with a question: “Have you ever had a student make a guitar before?”
“I thought, okay, we have to do this now,” Mr. Kline recalled. “That was three things happening over two days. That’s the universe speaking!”
Each brought unique skills to the project. Ben, a member of the jazz band, contributed his experience playing guitar, while Tiffany, who had previously built a guitar out of metal, joined in during woodworking class with Mr. Kline. Ben worked on his guitar during after-school “guitar days,” even dedicating a full afternoon during Regents week to building despite having an exam that morning.
The process started with a couple of pieces of wood. “We glued two pieces of wood together, then made a stencil out of them and cut out the body,” Tiffany said. “Once the body was sanded down, then came the precision. When we got the neck and body the way we wanted them, we started assembling.”
They used a mix of materials—including walnut, maple, and beechwood—and incorporated electronics and plastic parts purchased online. CNC routing and soldering brought the instruments together.
“Parts were tedious,” Mr. Kline explained. “Shaping the neck and the frets were a pain. Every little detail required fine-tuning.”
Ben added, “I didn’t realize how much work really went into it.”
Mr. Kline emphasized that the project was not just about building guitars but also about learning patience, craftsmanship, and problem-solving. “I look at my guitar and see all the little parts where I had to correct mistakes,” he said. “It’s very fine-tuned, and it’s satisfying to see it come together.”
